Broadway Historic District (Saratoga Springs, New York)
Encyclopedia
The Broadway Historic District is located along that street in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It has a twofold character. The southern section is the commercial core of the city, with many of its important public and private buildings, most intact from the its peak days as a resort town in that era. North Broadway is a residential neighborhood with many large Victorian
houses built by frequent visitors to the town and its spas and racetrack
.
In 1979 it was recognized as a historic district
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Since then its boundaries have twice been increased to include some adjacent areas after new information became available about the buildings in them, one of which is a church by Richard Upjohn
. Another contributing property
, the post office
, was later listed on the Register in its own right.
to a small portion that overlaps into the Town of Greenfield
just north of the city limits near Skidmore College
, where the street becomes Glen Mitchell Road. It is divided into residential and commercial sections by the intersection with Van Dam Street roughly midway between its two termini. Some portions of neighboring blocks and streets are included.
The south end is at the junction of Broadway (also US 9/NY 50
) and Spring Street (NY 9P
). Some of the properties on Spring to the east (where the district is bordered by the East Side Historic District
and Washington Street (NY 29
) as far as Woodlawn Avenue to the west are included. Both sides of Broadway (120 feet (36.6 m) wide at this point) are included to the junction with Church Street (NY 9N
's southern terminus on the west, and NY 29 on the east), at the post office and city hall, along with properties half a block
deep in either direction.
At Grove Street the eastern boundary returns to the side of Broadway in order to exclude some more modern buildings on that side. Two blocks to the north, at Van Dam, routes 9 and 50 split off from Broadway to the northeast and become a divided highway. Here the boundary again takes in buildings around High Rock Spring on the east as it becomes Broadway Avenue for a block, then Rock Street and Greenfield Avenue. The west boundary follows Wiswall Lane to include houses on the east side of Woodlawn (Some of the areas on the other side are in the West Side Historic District
).
The east boundary gradually follows rear property lines until First Street, where it runs down the middle of Bryant Street, including the houses on its west side except for some near the Fourth Street junction at the city line. The houses opposite Skidmore's main entrance are included; at the city line the west boundary begins.
Within this area delineated are 137 acres (55.4 ha) and over 160 buildings. In the northern half these are residential; to the south they are predominantly commercial with a few churches near the south end.
peoples of the area and had long been visited by them for its supposed curative powers. In 1643 Father Isaac Jogues
became the first European visitor
to see it. Mohawks reportedly carried Sir William Johnson
there on a stretcher in 1767, and his recovery went so well that he visited it again later several times. It was well-known enough that George Washington
tried to buy it in 1783.
Gideon Putnam
, considered the founder of Saratoga Springs, bought the land around Congress Spring to the south in 1802. He built the first hotel there and eight years later laid out a plan for the city's development. Broadway was always intended to be the main commercial street, and others built hotels on land sold to them by Putnam and his descendants. The coming of the railroad in the 1830s accentuated this, as it paralleled Broadway just to the west.
The tracks crossed Broadway at the Van Dam junction, following the route now used by routes 9 and 50. This created the break between commercial Broadway and residential North Broadway in the later years of the 19th century. Like the builders of the houses along Union Avenue
, the North Broadway homeowners were primarily wealthy summer residents. But Union Avenue's visitors came from all over the country for the horse races, whereas those on North Broadway were from further south in the Capital District
and primarily came to Saratoga Springs to take advantage of the baths and get away for the summer.
Today that area is home to a number of notable owners and trainers
in thoroughbred racing.
The district's historic character is preserved
by the city's Design Review Commission, a seven-member body appointed by the mayor to staggered three-year terms. It reviews any proposed signage and exterior changes to any building in any of the city's historic districts.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
houses built by frequent visitors to the town and its spas and racetrack
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
.
In 1979 it was recognized as a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Since then its boundaries have twice been increased to include some adjacent areas after new information became available about the buildings in them, one of which is a church by Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
. Another contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
, the post office
U.S. Post Office (Saratoga Springs, New York)
The U.S. Post Office in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States, is located at the junction of Broadway and Church Street in the center of the city. It is an early 20th-century brick structure in the Classical Revival architectural style, designed by James Knox Taylor, supervising architect for...
, was later listed on the Register in its own right.
Geography
The district follows a one-mile (1.6 km) stretch of Broadway and North Broadway, from the vicinity of Congress ParkCanfield Casino and Congress Park
Canfield Casino and Congress Park is a site in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It was the site of the former Congress Spring Bottling Plant and the former Congress Hall, a large resort hotel, which together brought Saratoga Springs international fame as a health spa and gambling site...
to a small portion that overlaps into the Town of Greenfield
Greenfield, New York
Greenfield is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 7,362 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Greenfield, New Hampshire.The Town of Greenfield is an interior town...
just north of the city limits near Skidmore College
Skidmore College
Skidmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students. The college is located in the town of Saratoga Springs, New York State....
, where the street becomes Glen Mitchell Road. It is divided into residential and commercial sections by the intersection with Van Dam Street roughly midway between its two termini. Some portions of neighboring blocks and streets are included.
The south end is at the junction of Broadway (also US 9/NY 50
New York State Route 50
New York State Route 50 is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 5 in Scotia...
) and Spring Street (NY 9P
New York State Route 9P
New York State Route 9P is a state highway in central Saratoga County, New York, United States. It is an alternate route off U.S. Route 9 between Malta and Saratoga Springs that connects US 9 to the eastern shore of Saratoga Lake. NY 9P meets NY 423 in the town of...
). Some of the properties on Spring to the east (where the district is bordered by the East Side Historic District
East Side Historic District (Saratoga Springs, New York)
The East Side Historic District is a primarily residential neighborhood located to the east of downtown Saratoga Springs, New York, United States...
and Washington Street (NY 29
New York State Route 29
New York State Route 29 is a state highway extending for across the eastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. The western terminus of the route is at NY 28 and NY 169 in Middleville, Herkimer County. The eastern terminus of the route is at NY 22 just south of Salem,...
) as far as Woodlawn Avenue to the west are included. Both sides of Broadway (120 feet (36.6 m) wide at this point) are included to the junction with Church Street (NY 9N
New York State Route 9N
New York State Route 9N is a north–south state highway in northeastern New York, United States. It extends from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 , NY 29, and NY 50 in the city of Saratoga Springs to a junction with US 9 and NY 22 in the Clinton County village of...
's southern terminus on the west, and NY 29 on the east), at the post office and city hall, along with properties half a block
City block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
deep in either direction.
At Grove Street the eastern boundary returns to the side of Broadway in order to exclude some more modern buildings on that side. Two blocks to the north, at Van Dam, routes 9 and 50 split off from Broadway to the northeast and become a divided highway. Here the boundary again takes in buildings around High Rock Spring on the east as it becomes Broadway Avenue for a block, then Rock Street and Greenfield Avenue. The west boundary follows Wiswall Lane to include houses on the east side of Woodlawn (Some of the areas on the other side are in the West Side Historic District
West Side Historic District (Saratoga Springs, New York)
The West Side Historic District is a residential area of Saratoga Springs, New York, United States, located west of its downtown section. It is a area extending from the blocks west of Broadway to extensions along Church and Washington streets...
).
The east boundary gradually follows rear property lines until First Street, where it runs down the middle of Bryant Street, including the houses on its west side except for some near the Fourth Street junction at the city line. The houses opposite Skidmore's main entrance are included; at the city line the west boundary begins.
Within this area delineated are 137 acres (55.4 ha) and over 160 buildings. In the northern half these are residential; to the south they are predominantly commercial with a few churches near the south end.
History
High Rock Spring was known to the NativeNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
peoples of the area and had long been visited by them for its supposed curative powers. In 1643 Father Isaac Jogues
Isaac Jogues
Isaac Jogues was a Jesuit priest, missionary, and martyr who traveled and worked among the native populations in North America. He gave the original European name to Lake George, calling it Lac du Saint Sacrement, Lake of the Blessed Sacrament. In 1646, Jogues was martyred by the Mohawks near ...
became the first European visitor
European colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
to see it. Mohawks reportedly carried Sir William Johnson
Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet
Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish official of the British Empire. As a young man, Johnson came to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Admiral Peter Warren, which was located amidst the Mohawk, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois League...
there on a stretcher in 1767, and his recovery went so well that he visited it again later several times. It was well-known enough that George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
tried to buy it in 1783.
Gideon Putnam
Gideon Putnam
Gideon Putnam was an entrepreneur and a founder of Saratoga Springs, New York. He also worked as a miller and built the city's Grand Union and Congress Hotels...
, considered the founder of Saratoga Springs, bought the land around Congress Spring to the south in 1802. He built the first hotel there and eight years later laid out a plan for the city's development. Broadway was always intended to be the main commercial street, and others built hotels on land sold to them by Putnam and his descendants. The coming of the railroad in the 1830s accentuated this, as it paralleled Broadway just to the west.
The tracks crossed Broadway at the Van Dam junction, following the route now used by routes 9 and 50. This created the break between commercial Broadway and residential North Broadway in the later years of the 19th century. Like the builders of the houses along Union Avenue
Union Avenue Historic District (Saratoga Springs, New York)
Union Avenue Historic District is a historic district in Saratoga Springs, New York. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978....
, the North Broadway homeowners were primarily wealthy summer residents. But Union Avenue's visitors came from all over the country for the horse races, whereas those on North Broadway were from further south in the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
and primarily came to Saratoga Springs to take advantage of the baths and get away for the summer.
Today that area is home to a number of notable owners and trainers
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
in thoroughbred racing.
The district's historic character is preserved
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
by the city's Design Review Commission, a seven-member body appointed by the mayor to staggered three-year terms. It reviews any proposed signage and exterior changes to any building in any of the city's historic districts.
Significant contributing properties
- Adelphi Hotel, 361–65 Broadway. Built in 1877, this is the last surviving hotel from the 19th century. It has the trademark three-story "Saratoga porch" with slender columns and open spandrelSpandrelA spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s. - Adirondack Trust Company Building, 473 Broadway. This is a marbleMarbleMarble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
-faced 1916 Beaux-Arts bank building by Alfred HopkinsAlfred HopkinsS. Alfred Hopkins was an American architect, an "estate architect" who specialized in country houses and especially in model farms in an invented "vernacular" style suited to the American elite...
featuring TiffanyTiffany & Co.Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
bronzeBronzeBronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
doors and chandeliers. All the decoration inside and out has AdirondackAdirondack MountainsThe Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
themes. - S.W. Ainsworth Building, 456–70 Broadway. OrnateOrnament (architecture)In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
High Victorian brick three-story commercial block with pedimentPedimentA pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
dating it to 1871. - Bethesda Episcopal Church, 28 Washington Street. Richard UpjohnRichard UpjohnRichard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
's original 1842 Gothic Revival design was enhanced in 1887 with a tower and new front facadeFacadeA facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
. - City Hall, 474 Broadway. Ornate three-story brick ItalianateItalianate architectureThe Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
building built in 1871 by Cummings & Burt of TroyTroy, New YorkTroy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
. - Collamer Building, 480–94 Broadway. This large 1884 commercial building, similar in mass (three stories, 18 baysBay (architecture)A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
) to the Ainsworth Building down the street has a Queen AnneQueen Anne Style architectureThe Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
gableGableA gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
with miniature turretTurretIn architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s. - Ellis House, 720 North Broadway. This two-and-a-half-story Romanesque Revival house is believed to have been built 1885–86 by AlbanyAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
architect Albert Fuller. Has a three-story engaged tower and widow's walkWidow's walkA widow's walk also known as a "widow's watch" is a railed rooftop platform often with a small enclosed cupola frequently found on 19th century North American houses. A popular romantic myth holds that the platform was used to observe vessels at sea...
. - High Rock Spring, Maple Avenue at Rock Street. The first known mineral water spring in the area flows in a polygonal stone springhouse below a steep ledge.
- President's House, 670 North Broadway. The home of Skidmore's president is a -story Colonial RevivalColonial Revival architectureThe Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
frameFraming (construction)Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
house with projecting columned porticoPorticoA portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
built between 1895–1900. - Reverey Gardens, 595 North Broadway. Hopkins designed this two-story Colonial Revival frameFraming (construction)Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
house in 1922. Ellen Shipman designed the gardens. - U.S. Post OfficeU.S. Post Office (Saratoga Springs, New York)The U.S. Post Office in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States, is located at the junction of Broadway and Church Street in the center of the city. It is an early 20th-century brick structure in the Classical Revival architectural style, designed by James Knox Taylor, supervising architect for...
, 475 Broadway. Treasury Department supervising architect James Knox TaylorJames Knox TaylorJames Knox Taylor was Supervising Architect of the United States Department of the Treasury from 1897 to 1912. His name is listed ex officio as supervising architect of hundreds of federal buildings built throughout the United States during the period.-Early career:The son of H...
designed this Classical RevivalNeoclassical architectureNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building in 1910. At that time it had the most elaborate lobby of any post office in the state.